No Regrets
by Rubble
Summary: Danny is leaving for college in the fall, but before then he wants to make amends with Vlad, so that his family will be safe in his absence. He agrees to become the elder halfa's apprentice, but is there more to his ploy then he claims? SLASH, DxV
1. Chapter 1

Danny stared at the mahogany door towering before him, little wafts of warm breath visible in the moon's cold light. He raised a hand to knock, but just as suddenly pulled away, biting his lip and pacing up and down the steps of Vlad's mansion.

He should wait until tomorrow. It was late now, and Plasmius was probably sleeping.

But where would he go? He didn't know anyone in Wisconsin, and it wasn't as if he could sleep outside. It had been snowing the entire way here, only pausing when Danny had finally arrived at Vlad's Estate. Sleeping outside was out of the question, lest he want to freeze to death.

He glanced at his watch. 1:34. Oh, damn his timing! Why didn't he think about the four hours it took to fly by himself? He should have snuck onto a plane!

He stomped his foot angrily into the snow covered walk. This was getting him nowhere but colder.

He sat down, almost instantly regretting it when the ice melted into his jeans. Well, great. Now even if he did manage to knock on the door, Vlad would make some snide comment about how he'd peed himself. Which was stupid anyway, because he was a boy.

More useless thoughts began to dance through his head, successfully avoiding the real reason he was currently so agitated.

Although loathe to admit it, Daniel Fenton was _scared_.

This was his last chance. He _would not_ become one of them. He was going to make amends. He was going to rest assured that his family and friends would be safe, not only from Plasmius, but from anything else that would threaten to hurt them. Everything would be fine, and all his loose ends would be tied.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the little butterflies that would rumble around in his stomach at the mere thought of the billionaire.

Just then, as if by the will of the Gods, a yellow rectangle of light beat down on him, only interrupted by a thin shadow. He turned around quickly to see a curious Vlad Masters, eyeing him from the doorway.

"I thought I sensed you." he said simply, leaning against the doorframe. "What are you doing on my porch at two o'clock in morning?"

"I, um." Danny stood up abruptly, twisting to face him. For some reason, he couldn't quite look him in the eye, and so he settled on the collar of Vlad's shirt. _Focus, Fenton. This is more important than your little school yard crush._ "Can I come inside...? I want to talk."

The billionaire paused for a moment, but stepped aside without word. Danny looked at him curiously.

"Wait, really...?" Danny had half expected to have the door slammed on his face, or to be physically kicked off the porch.

"I suppose, if you're going to be civil, then so will I." He lead Danny by the shoulder into the Foyer and closing the door behind him. Noticing Danny's shivering, he motioned him towards the Den.

"Well." he said flatly. "I certainly hope that this is important. I'd hate to learn that you nearly froze to death waiting to accuse me of some bogus plot." He sat down in a large chair beside the fireplace, in front of an identical one and a chess table. "I know you've got more sense than your father, so sit already." Danny ignored the insult and complied, leaning towards the fire in his seat. "Now, may I ask why you chose such an inconvenient time to intrude?"

"I, um..." Danny blushed a bit; embarrassed because he knew that it had been bad timing on his part alone that brought him at such an ungodly hour. _Not because he'_"I was waiting until my mom and Dad were asleep. I wanted to talk to you in person, only..." He scratched his chin with a finger, hesitating. "I sort of... forgot that it takes so long to get to your house." Vlad snorted.

"Well. It's a smarter reason then I was expecting." he crossed his legs and leaned back. "So, if not to harass me, then why the oh-so-unwelcome visit from the great Danny Phantom?" His voice was dripping with spite and sarcasm, but Danny closed his eyes, ignoring it and taking a deep breath.

"I want to know..." Danny straightened himself up, and turned to Vlad. Fighting down the urge to blush, he summoned the courage to look the man in the eye. "I want to know if that offer of yours still stands."

**What is THIS? A story with PLOT? From RUBBLE?**

_**GASP!**_

**Tee hee.**


	2. Chapter 2

Vlad Masters sat and stared with a wild expression, his muscles tensed but his body not moving an inch. The fire crackled as restlessly as his heart thumped, unsure if he'd heard correctly or not. Could Daniel really have…?

'_Give me a hug, new dad!' Arms outstretched. He wants you, get him. Click of a belt. Pain. Heartbreak._

The sudden burst of déjà vu set a dull ache of realization in his chest.

He was being made fun of again.

"Of course!" Vlad smiled wide and fake, hopping up from the couch and putting an arm—very carefully—around Danny. "Why, it's always been open, dear boy."

"Ah, well… I mean, there were some thing I wanted to talk about—" Danny said, trying his damned hardest not to blush and failing miserably. Vlad didn't take much notice though, whisking him up off the couch.

"Yes, yes." Vlad nodded, a grin still plain on his face. It really was such a beautiful smile, wasn't it? Danny wished he could have seen it more often, or at the very least, taken a picture—

While Danny had become once again lost in a train of thought, Vlad had pulled him back into the foyer, thinking terrible angry thoughts the entire time.

How _dare_ he? How _dare_ this little _ingrate_ try to trick him like that? As though shattering his hopes once had not been enough! Vlad had half a mind to beat the boy senseless, but decided against it. He might not be able to stop himself, and end up killing the little rat.

"Oh Daniel, I'm so glad you've finally come to your senses and realized how much easier it is to give me what I want." Vlad spun the boy around, so that he was directly facing the elder hybrid and away from the door. He leaned over, causing Danny to press his back gently against the wood, desperately trying to calm his maddening heartbeat. "It gives me a chance to tell you something that I've been waiting years to say."

"Wh-Wh-What?" Obviously, Vlad was blind, still ignorant to the blush that stood proudly on Danny's face, quickly spreading to his ears.

"Yes. " Vlad's expression suddenly became dark, although he was still grinning like a cat. Without a word, he yanked open the giant mahogany door and shoved Daniel with all his might outside. Danny, unprepared, fell backwards, tumbling down the stairs like a slinky rusted into retirement. "IF YOU **EVER** EVEN CONSIDER TRYING TO TRICK ME LIKE THAT AGAIN, I'LL HAVE SKULKER SKIN YOU AND HANG YOUR PELT ON _**MY**_WALL!" and with that, he slammed the door shut, the reverberation of which Danny could feel through the cement steps.

Danny sat in silence for a moment, the realization of his predicament taking second seat to his realization of how fucking COLD it could get in Wisconsin in the middle of spring. Seriously, shouldn't the snow have melted already? After all, he—

_OH SHIT!_ He scrambled up, trying to shake off the little white crystals that clung to his coat and hair.

"PLASMIUS—er, I mean- VLAD! WAIT UP! STOP!" He bound up the stairs, latching himself onto the door handle, not quite caring that he could feel his own skin freezing to it. He yanked and shoved on it, to no avail. "Vlad, Let me explain!" No answer. Without a second thought, he closed his eyes, letting a ghostly weightlessness pass over him in rings.

When he opened his eyes, his vision now twenty times clearer than it had been, he bit his lip nervously and began to push through the door- Only to have what felt like a thousand hot knives plunge into his body repeatedly, sending him flying back like a rag doll.

"Don't bother, Daniel." He heard from a small white speaker he hadn't noticed before, just above a doorbell. He scrambled back to his knees, gliding up the stairs. "I've put up the human-ghost shield. Go home."

"Vlad! Let me in!" Danny pleaded, banging on the door, ignoring the little sparks of electric shock shooting through his arm every time his fist hit wood. "VLAD!" He continued to pound for a minute or two, but his hands began to pulse with soreness, and the cold wasn't making it hurt any less. He rubbed the tips of his fingers anxiously, wanting to kick himself straight in the head. God, why was he such an idiot? Of course he shouldn't have sprung the question up like that! What, did he expect Vlad to welcome him with open arms, after four years of him being nothing but a pain in the ass to the elder halfa? Of _course_ he got kicked out. Hell, if he'd been Vlad, he wouldn't even have let himself in. Now, he would never get the chance again!

"Jesus, Fenton!" He growled, taking to the sky. "Way to fuck up! Shit for brains!"

With that final self-depreciating comment, he turned toward Amity, and disappeared into a mist of greyish black clouds, hiding the moon from view.

Vlad returned to his study, glaring at the fire and watching it cast little dancing patterns in the carpet. He was angry at himself, but did not know quite the reason. If anything, he should have been angry at Daniel. Yet, thinking about the boy now, the only thing he could feel was a dull ache in his chest that called for a hard drink.

_God must hate me_, Vlad decided, getting up walking towards the bookshelf where he'd hidden a bottle of Absolut. _To make me fall in love with a complete tease for twenty years, and only get over her after falling in love with her infuriating son. _He laughed in spite of himself, pulling up a frozen glass from a freezer in the cabinet below the bookshelf, and filling it a little over halfway. He made move to leave the bottle on the shelf, but thought better of it and brought it back to the couch.

It had been three months since he'd realized his feelings for Danny. At first, he'd been disgusted with himself. Lusting after a teenage boy! He was a forty year old man, for Pariah's sake! Well, _mentally_, at least, but that's what counted the most! After all, he'd looked at the boy as a son for three years, to so suddenly have such a change in perspective…

Well, no, that wasn't quite right. Although he had always said he saw Daniel as a son, the truth was, Daniel was his rival. Phantom had always been Vlad's exact opposite—showcasing his faults to a T, but more importantly, letting Vlad, for the first time, see his own true self. All his life, he'd been only a set of masks. An old college friend, a bachelor billionaire, a powerful ghost—yes, he was all of these, but always separately, even to himself.

Until of course, Daniel came along.

It was as if suddenly, his entire world had crashed together in a great cacophony of screaming realization, Daniel at the center of it all, picking and prying and opening the deepest scars of his heart. At first he was spiteful because of this, wanting to shun away and reorganize his life into their distinct, separate places. Soon though, he began to find things in himself he hadn't known before. Little pieces he'd thought he'd lost, all reflecting in Daniel, like a mirror smashed into a million dust particles. He began to see himself—not as Masters or as Plasmius, but simply as Vlad. It was an indescribable feeling, and though he was not thrilled at what he found, he was to say at least, contented with being only one person.

It was a feeling he hadn't known in a while.

Slowly, day by day, that feeling of rivalry towards Daniel had dissipated, and just as he had seen certain similarities between he and the boy, he had also begun to see subtle differences. Compared to himself, Daniel was so wild, and free. He always held himself in whatever way he fancied, not giving much thought to who was watching. At the same time, he liked to keep low on the radar, and not bring attention to himself. He was caring and compassionate, and would open his heart to anyone that could see past his unsocial demeanor.

It was almost as though he were nothing like Vlad at all.

Such a mix in the boy was too much to resist, it seemed. As he began to grow more and more attracted to Daniel, his love for Maddie began to dissipate. Yes, she was kind and smart and beautiful, but she lacked the same openness that Daniel had, and long ago lost the spark of life that seemed to be flowing out of the boy in waves. Yes, perhaps in his heart somewhere he held some reverence for Maddie, but it was much overshadowed by this domineering drive to thoroughly possess the boy he'd so lovingly (he didn't know if that was sarcasm or not, himself) come to know as the Little Badger.

Lost in his thoughts, he unintentionally ignored the Grandfather clock in the far corner of the room chanting out, alerting all who would hear it that it was now three in the morning.

_Oh butter brickle!_ He thought bitterly, violently taking another swig of Absolut. _That impudent little rat! Stirring me up like this, and he doesn't even know it!_ It was absolutely infuriating, regretting the decision he'd just made, but knowing that if he had let himself believe Daniel, it would probably hurt twice as much. After all, it wasn't as though it had been the first time someone in that family had pretended to want to get close to him, only to turn around and stab him in the back. Jasmine, Jack, and even Maddie had all done the same, so why should he have expected anything other than betrayal from Daniel? _Especially_ after the Colorado incident, when he'd proved to Vlad that he was no different, exploiting his greatest weakness and using it against him: the want of acceptance. This time was no different.

He'd made the right choice. It would cause him less pain in the end.

…So why did it hurt so much?

As the fire began to die, the shadows on all the walls of the room began to fade back into the dim gray of a cloudy night. Even as only embers stirred in the grand fireplace, Vlad stared at them with such an intensity that anyone in the nearest facility might wager that they would burst into flames again, any moment, much like a Phoenix that had just met the end of its life. No such thing occurred of course, and final the last embers fell into a peaceful dormancy, leaving the billionaire alone to his thoughts in the dark.

Well… perhaps he shouldn't have been so rash about kicking Daniel out. He could have at the very least listened to what the boy had to say, right? He _had_ sounded more sincere this time through, and hesitant, even, to ask. He should have been fine if he was only coming to tease Vlad, right?

_No, maybe he wants something_.

But what? It was true, Daniel _had_ tricked him three years ago, at his chalet in the Rockies, but it had only been for the benefit of his mother, no? In fact… the billionaire could not think of another time where the boy had used such underhanded methods to get what he wanted. Not that he was innocent, by any means, but he'd always been forward with Vlad, with whatever it was he wanted.

Perhaps… perhaps he was telling the truth?

Ha! That was ridiculous. There was no way in heaven, hell, the earth or the ghost zone that Daniel would ever betray that fat oaf of a father to be with him. Not that he really cared about the ignoramus, but in Danny's eyes, it was the only thing that Vlad wanted, wasn't it? Well, that and his mother, but she certainly wasn't something that Danny could provide, even if Vlad _did_ want her. (Which, he completely and thoroughly _did not_.)

Though… hadn't he mentioned wanting to talk about something? What could that have been? Vlad thought on this for a moment, relenting after twenty minutes had passed and nothing significantly plausible came to mind. He sighed deeply, and disregarding the half bottle of Vodka on the table, phased through the ceiling into his bedroom, wanting to think no more on the subject and just _sleep_, for a decade or two.

He supposed, if he must, he would call Daniel in the morning.

**Took long enough, eh? I seriously wrote and rewrote this like nine times, and I'm **_**still**_** not sure I'm happy with it. I think I got all the points I wanted to get across in here though, so that makes me somewhat content. **

**I'm not sure how long it will be before I'm on again, though. My dad's cracking down hard on me lately because my GPA is only a 2.9, and he thinks I can do shit loads better. (I'm actually not too sure that I can, but he's stubborn incarnate, so there's not much I can do. ;-;)**

**PEACE OFF, I LOVE YOU ALL. ****REVIEW ME, OKAY? OKAY.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This one came out faster than expected, and totally took on a mind of its own. Really. I never planned ANY of this to happen, it just **_**did**_**. But I like the outcome, so whatever. I'm just going to roll with it. **

The sun had already halfway risen by the time Danny had gotten home. Luckily, it was Saturday, and his parents liked to sleep in late. He knew that Jazz was home, visiting for spring break, and would have covered for him otherwise, but it made things so much easier when he didn't have to explain to her what he was doing all night. Sometimes, she could be worse than his mom and dad put together.

He phased in through the window, not bothering to peel back any of the blankets or even remove his shoes, before dropping onto the bed. He let the sweet warmth of sleep conquer him in seconds.

OOO

"_Oh, Antonio! Don't you see? I _am_ Rosella!"_

"_No, Rosella is dead! You are Henrietta, her twin sister!"_

"_You knew?"_

"_I have always known, and I do not care anymore! I love you, Henrietta!" _

"_Antonio!"_

Jazz watched the television with a highly concentrated expression rooted in her eyes. She was doing _research_, of course, for her thesis on pop culture romance. She'd never be caught _dead_ watching something like this otherwise.

"No! Antonio! Don't kiss her!" Jazz slammed her fist onto the grey-blue arm of the couch, nearly shaking with rage, almost instantly regretting it when it made a loud _THUMP_. She glanced around, as though she could see her parents stirring in their beds, and returned to whisper shouting. "The one you saw on the porch was Isabella, the _other_ sister! They're not twins, but _triplets_ -!"

_**DING-DONG**_

She glanced towards the door hesitantly, and when the sound repeated, rose up and answered it. She was surprised to find a tall, lanky, dark skinned boy with a mop of curls draping over and around his face, panting to catch his breath, cleaning off his glasses.

"Oh... hey... Jazz..." he said between gasps, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I thought... you were...in college."

"Uh..." she blinked at him, totally at loss what to say. Obviously he knew her, but she for the life of her could not recognize him. "I'm off on break." She said, deciding to play it off.

"Oh." the boy looked around nervously. "Well, um... Danny called last night, he asked me and Sam to come over first thing this morning. Is he awake?"

"Wait- Tucker?" she nearly yelled, and he stared at her with his eyebrows deeply knitted. "Oh jeez, sorry. I didn't recognize you with your hair all grown out."

"Oh, yeah. I get that _a lot_." he laughed, running a hand through it and grinning at her. "Pretty sexy, right? You wanna feel?"

"Um..."

The awkward pause was broken by a gloved back-handed slap to Tucker's open cheek.

"God, you're such a-!" a familiar voice huffed, and Jazz turned to see a red faced, long haired Sam, looking ready to bite Tucker's head off.

"Ow, Sam! That hurt!"

"Can it, creep." she grunted, turning to Jazz, a sorry expression. Jazz smiled back apologetically, and they both scoffed at Tucker's confused glance between them. "Is Danny home?"

"Yeah." she nodded, stepping aside and pulling the door back a bit more. "He's still sleeping though, so come in." Sam politely stepped inside, and Tucker sauntered in behind her. She motioned them to sit down on the couch, and quickly dove for the remote when their backs were turned, randomly hitting a set of buttons to avoid any questions about her... _personal taste_. They were just kids, and she was in college. She refused to be made fun of because of her taste in... er, research… topics.

"You're hair looks nice like that." Jazz said lightly, sitting down to join them. "I didn't know it was so wavy."

"Yeah, well." Sam laughed nervously, fingering it subconsciously. "I'm growing it out for Locks of Love."

"Oh, I heard about that. That's cool."

An awkward silence built, which Sam broke by elbowing Tucker sharply between the ribs.

"OW—! I have _flesh _there, thanks for bruising it."

"Tucker." She growled back.

"Yeah, me too." He grunted, nurturing his freshly bruised side. "Anything to help a good cause."

"So... how's college?" Sam asked, relaxing into the cushion a bit, smiling.

"It's actually... kind of a disappointment." Jazz admitted, touching her arm. "I mean... I thought it was going to be vast amounts of new information, and sudden revelations on theories, but... most of the stuff I'm learning I've already read a lot about."

"So... basically you're saying, 'Don't study, you'll spoil the surprise?' Sounds like good advice to me!" Tucker grinned, and no one laughed.

"Do you guys want me to uh, wake Danny?" Jazz looked towards the stairs, and Sam and Tucker both jumped up, their hands out to stop her, although she was not moving.

"NO, LET HIM SLEEP!" they said simultaneously, which earned them the most suspicious look they'd ever gotten in their lives, between them.

"Wh-what Tucker means is..." Sam trailed off, an excuse forming silently in her head. "He uh, probably was out ghost fighting or something, last night. So... he's really tired!"

"Yeah, you know him. He never gets enough sleep as it is, and... He wouldn't go back to sleep later if we woke him up now!" Tucker agreed.

"Alright..." Jazz crossed her arms, and Sam, still standing, began to back slowly away, a nervous smile plain upon her face.

"You know what? We'll just go check on him and wait until he gets up, right Tuck?" She grasped his arm, and began to drag him upstairs.

"Uh, yeah!" he began to walk up the stairs after her, but suddenly stopped and turned to give her a flirtatious grin. "Hey, if you're ever bored or anything, tell Danny to give you my cell numb-" but he did not get to finish, because Sam had yanked him up the last few steps in a single tug.

"Shit Sam!" He whisper-shouted, cautious of the sleeping Fentons around him. "Why do you always have to be so rough, huh?"

"Why do you always have to goof off so much?" She whisper-grunted back, and slipped down the hallway towards Danny's room, her hand gently resting on the knob. Quietly, she turned it open, and pushed it slowly so that the dragging sound it made on the carpet would not wake the sleeping lump in the corner of the room.

"He's been doing it again." Tucker sighed, looking around at the walls of the room. Every square inch of free space was covered in paper, lists on lists on lists, everywhere. There were even a few clinging to the ceiling, hanging like dead men from nooses, covering up the glow in the dark stars that Danny had so proudly hung before.

"Danny." Sam whispered, nudging his shoulder lightly. She sat down on the bed and lightly brushed the hair from his face. "Danny, get up. Come on."

"Nnn… Vlad…" he breathed, snuggling into her hand. She smiled at him sadly, and shook him again.

"Not quite, big shot."

Across the room, Tucker watched them both, a strange expression on his face. On one hand, he wanted to separate them as far as he could from one another, and on the other, he wanted to smack himself for even thinking about being angry at Danny. He wanted to leave the room, but at the same time was afraid to do so. He hated feeling like this, but more so, hated that his mind was on something so trivial when obviously; his friend needed him right now.

"Sam…?" He cocked an eyebrow, sitting up. "Tuck? What time is it?"

"Half past eight." Sam answered, glancing at her Hello Batty wristwatch. "You called us both last night. You sounded… well, weird."

"Yeah, man." Tucker stepped forward, and away from his daze. "What happened with um… you know, Vlad?"

Danny looked at them both for a moment, and then sighed, falling back into his bed. "I'm hungry. Let's go get breakfast first, okay?" He climbed out of bed, and they saw that he was wearing the clothes he'd worn yesterday. Tuck grinned, a scheme plain on his face. He nudged Danny with a gentle elbow.

"I nominate Sam to pay the bill!" He laughed; Danny grinned and shot his hand up.

"I second that nomination!"

Sam scowled and rolled her eyes, mumbling something about shallow friends.

"Sweet!" Tucker fist pumped, and tossed Danny's shoes at him. "Come on, I'm in the mood for breakfast burritos."

OOO

Jazz had just returned to her soap oper— that is, _research_, when Danny had trudged down the stairs to leave for breakfast with Sam and Tucker.

"I thought you were tired." She said offhandedly, and he looked at her with a mix of guilt and confusion. "Uh, you know… Ghost fighting?"

"Oh, um… OH! Right! Yeah, I was… ghost fighting! I passed out so hard I must have forgotten." He laughed casually. "I'm fine now, though. Tell mom and Dad I'll be back in an hour or two, if they wake up before noon, okay?"

"Will do, little bro." She waved him goodbye, and returned her attention to the television.

The phone rang several moments later.

OOO

The restaurant was relatively quiet, which was to be expected so early in the morning. It was an old one, the walls a pink ghost of what had probably been at one point deep red. The furniture was worn, and looked all to b about thirty years old. Neon signs advertised new brands of beer and covered dents and holes in the wall. There were a few solitary men on stools at the counter, and one family in a far corner making chipper conversation. The trio had made themselves comfortable at a booth, Tucker and Sam on one side, Danny on the other.

It was like some strange symbolic gesture to show that no matter how close they were, even in their own little world, there was a clear distinction between them.

"Okay, stop with the sighing already." Sam growled, setting down her potato enchiladas to cross her arms, and glare at Danny. The entire walk there, he'd done nothing but stare at his shoes, make distant expressions, and sigh. He hadn't even touched his Huevos Rancheros.

"I um… well." He scratched the back of his head and set down his fork, straightening it parallel to the edge of the table and avoiding Sam's eyes. "I went to go see Vlad yester— well, last night."

"Yeah, we know dude." Tucker continued to munch on his burrito, ignoring Sam's angry stare. Well, at least, the angry part of it. "You texted me, remember? '_Tuck, tell Sam I'm going to go talk to Vlad tonight about something important. Not the thing, or the other thing, but something important._' I mean really dude, talk about cryptic."

"What did you talk about?" Sam picked up her burrito again, but not taking a bite. She didn't look at him, but instead at the red circle of his shirt, waiting to hear his voice.

"I went to go ask him something." He said, taking a swig of juice. He heard Sam sigh impatiently, and was thankful when Tucker interjected.

"Did something have something to do with the list?" he wiped his mouth off on his sleeve, and started on the second half of his burrito, stopping first to chug half of his coke.

"Um… sort of."

"What do you mean, 'sort of'?" Sam demanded.

"Look, don't get mad, okay? I _really_ don't want you to get mad." He glanced at her face, and saw she was scowling. "Sam, please. Or else I won't say anything."

"Fine." She grunted.

"I went to go ask him if… if he would still let me take him up on his offer. " Danny admitted quietly. Tucker was staring at him wide eyed, half a bite of burrito hanging from his mouth. Sam looked all but homicidal. "Hey, you promised!"

"I… am not angry." She forced out. "I'm just… confused."

"Y-Yeah, man! I mean… I thought… you _like_ liked him. Not… like a _Dad_." Tucker stared at his plate, and the remains of an almost completely devoured burrito. "I mean… dude. You mumble his name in your sleep. Son's don't _do_ that."

"No!" Danny face palmed, and blushed. "It's like… I went to go ask him if he was still you know, like… wanting to get close to me, and if maybe we could work out an agreement. I was going to be his apprentice until fall, and when I'm-"

He grew quiet, suddenly, as though tripping over an invisible line that had muted him, and stilled the very earth. They were deathly still for a moment, all three. He cleared his throat, and continued more silently;

" …When I'm gone," Sam's heart twisted at the look on his face, "he was supposed to keep Amity safe. No stolen mom or murdered dad."

"…but?" Tucker eyed him warily, waiting for him to continue.

"But I'm an idiot." He grunted, a pitiable expression falling upon him. "I'm sorry, guys. I just… oh god, I'm such a _fuck_ up!" He ran a hand through his hair, obviously distressed, his covered eyes wandering around the room to find a place that wasn't to awkward to "not-cry" to.

"Danny…" Tucker went to put a hand on his friend's shoulder, when he noticed a subtle waft of blue twist out and push Danny to stand.

"Oh, sorry guys." He gave an apologetic smile. "I have to… well, you know."

"Hey wait, just- sit, okay? I brought a Thermos and a Fenton Bazooka." Sam made a move to reach into her backpack, when Danny stopped her with a gentle pat on her wrist.

"Come on, Sam." He grinned, a green spark of his old self, almost tangible in his eyes. "I'm not an invalid."

He sprung up and darted towards the bathroom, and they didn't miss the pitiful look he gave before the door shut behind him.

OOO

"Hello Jasmine. Is your brother home?"

"…"

"No, I do not wish to taunt, tease, blackmail, or harass him. I only wish to speak to him."

"…"

"…_No_, I am not _plotting _anything!"

"…"

"Oh for God's sake, Jasmine! Put him on the phone!" Vlad snapped, having had enough of the young woman's suspicion.

He was sitting in his office, hunched over a large black desk, head resting in his palm. Dear lord, these people were headaches; Always either accusing him of _something_, even when they were the instigators. _He_ wasn't the one who had woken up in the middle of the night to badger his arch enemy into a false sense of security! Well, at least, not _this_ time! Why should he be getting grief for it?

"What do you mean he's not there?" Vlad felt his chest tighten—the little badger _had_ gotten home, hadn't he?

"…"

"Well, when will he be back?" she growled something about not being a zookeeper, and Vlad, wanting to hear no more of her shrill obnoxious voice promptly hung up the phone.

Well, fine. That was that, then. He had called, Daniel hadn't answered. There was no more to be done about it, and he would go on as though it had not happened. He was probably right in the first place, anyway. Last night had been Daniel's sick idea of a joke.

Vlad sighed quietly. The house around him began to make sound he had not heard before, little creaks and cracks that refused to give him solitude, but where not loud enough for him to be sure he had even heard them. It was really quite aggravating.

"Oh for the love of Fudge Doodles!" he groaned, his head falling to the desk with a dull thud. "This is pointless! I'm Vlad Masters! If I want to go harass that little imp, then I'm going to!" he stood up abruptly, knocking his knee softly into the table and almost tripping backwards over the chair. He picked the phone up again, and dialed zero.

"Yes, Jamison? Prepare the helicopter. Be ready to leave for Amity in twenty minutes."

OOO

**Pfft. They went to eat Mexican food. That restaurant is actually based on one my dad half owns with some lady. It's called 'El Gato'. Seriously, what the hell? Neither of them even **_**owns**_** a cat. **

**Anyone curious as to what's happening to Danny! Guess! I dare ya'! I wanna hear some crackpot theories, man!**


	4. Chapter 4

Jazz grunted, slamming the phone down on the receiver, and throwing her tightly clenched fists against the kitchen counter.

Seriously, _what the hell _was Vlad's _problem_? Aside from being a complete a total narcissistic sociopathic _asshole_¸ anyway. She could hardly believe he was still picking fights with a seventeen-year-old _boy_! Granted, Danny was turning eighteen in three months, but that was beside the point! And just what had he wanted with her brother, anyways? Well, whatever it was, no way in _hell_ was she going to let him get to Danny. Not if her life depended on it.

Still… maybe she should call Danny, just to warn him. After all, if Vlad were planning something, it would be best if Danny knew as quickly as possible. Yet… the thought of calling him made a little pang of guilt knock dull on her chest. Her brother had looked so _tired_ lately. It was probably the first time in weeks he had gotten to go out with his friends anywhere, if his schedule had kept its same activities that it had when she still lived at home. It seemed the only thing that boy ever did was eat, sleep, fight ghosts. It was the reason his grades had fallen so far behind and he hadn't been accepted into any colleges (or so he had told her).

So, to call Danny and let him continue to overwork himself, or not call Danny and lead him into a dangerous situation regarding a half-crazed obsessive billionaire?

She crossed her arms, and blew a fallen piece of hair away from her forehead.

Well, she could always tell Sam. As paranoid as the girl was, Jazz had always admired the her ability to both be Danny's friend and still nag him when he was in the wrong. Truth be told, sometimes she was a little jealous that Sam could be so close to him and still scold him like she did. If she called Sam, the girl would certainly be able to warn Danny in a way that wouldn't freak him out and cause him to work triple time—something that she was in fact guilty of doing herself, occasionally.

She reached into her pocket, feeling for her phone, when her mother stumbled into the kitchen, donned in her less-than-finest Fenton-Brand bathrobe.

"Mornin' Sweetie," She yawned, hunching over towards the coffee machine. "What time is it?"

"It's almost ten. I'm surprised you're up so early." Jazz teased, and her mother gracefully stuck out her tongue and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Who are you texting?" she took a sip from her mug, hissing lightly and pulling away when she burnt her tongue.

"Sam. She, Danny, and Tucker all went out to breakfast this morning about an hour ago. Danny said they'd be home before noon."

"Oh." Maddie moved away from the counter and towards the refrigerator, diving in and surfacing with a bottle of creamer. "Did you already eat?"

"I had some toast. " Jazz snapped her phone shut, and slipped it back into her pocket.

"Get some milk and I'll make pancakes. Otherwise I won't be able to wake your father until suppertime." Maddie rolled her eyes, and put down her mug. She began to pilfer through the cabinets and pull down an assortment of supplies.

Jazz said nothing, only walking back to the opposite side of the kitchen, and grabbing a gallon of milk. She set it beside her mother and leaned against the counter, watching half interestedly.

"Hey, mom?"

"Yes, Darling?"

"How…?" Jazz paused, furrowing her brow. "What do you think of Uncle Vlad? I mean, I know you guys are college buddies and all, but I mean… he's such a… well, _you_ _know_."

"A fruit loop?" Maddie smiled, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I know, but he's always been a bit… odd. Truth be told, I only got to know him because he was your father's best friend. He was so awkward, he used to creep me out, but…" she paused, looking thoughtful. "Well, you know how back in the day, people weren't so… _open_ to the idea of… er, same sex couples?"

"Mom." Jazz gave a look of pure unadulterated horror. "Please don't tell me Vlad was _gay_. " She blinked, and realizing how she sounded stuck up her hands. "N-Not that there's anything _wrong_ with that! But… He… and dad… shared a _room_." Her face twisted again, an unpleasant image flashing through her mind. Oh, _barf_.

"Oh for heaven's sake, no!" Maddie waved around a whisk, splattering a bit of mix onto the counter. "Well, he might have been, but if he was _I_ never would have known. Anyway, there was this boy—Joshua or Jeremy or something, whatever. The football team was bullying him because he had asked out the quarterback. Well, one day, Vlad got sick and tired of it, and threw himself between them, claiming that if any of them touched the kid again, he would file a law suit against them."

"Did they leave him alone?"

"Eventually." The sound of sizzling batter filled the kitchen, and Maddie sighed. "Afterwards though, they started to pick on Vlad and your father—but that's not important. The point is, even though Vlad is a bit of a creeper—"

"More like full out psycho." Jazz mumbled.

"—he is still a good, _caring _person." Maddie said, a firm look in her eye. "I… I admit, I thought that that part of him had disappeared, but… after he saved your brother during that ghost attack four years ago…" she smiled fondly, flipping the pancake over. "Well, I know it's still in there somewhere, Even if it's hidden under a couple of layers of crazy."

"…A _lot_ of layers." Jazz said solemnly, scowling. "Like an onion. Or the earth."

"Why do you ask, anyways?"

Suddenly, a blob of orange burst in through the door, excitedly sniffing at the air and swooping behind Maddie to kiss her happily on the cheek.

"I SMELL PANCAKES!"

OOO

Skulker slammed into a brick wall at full force, his armor creating a deafening _screech_ that Danny found oddly refreshing.

"Nice try, Skulker, but maybe you should get better breaks before you go for the nitro boost." Danny snorted, phasing out of the wall and grabbing the ghost by the ankles, swinging him around like a toddler. He spun four times, before finally letting him go into a nearby fountain. "Oh, be careful! We wouldn't want you to rust!"

"Skulker does not rust, whelp!" The hunter belted, standing up and pointing a charged ectoplasmic ray in the ghost-boy's direction. "I am made of stainless steel!" With that, he sent half a dozen shots of white-hot energy into the air. Danny avoided most of them, hissing when the last one grazed his elbow and cleanly melted off a chunk of his suit (and burned a larger chunk of his skin.)

"Shit!" He huffed, instinctively raising a hand to apply ice to the newly acquired burn. Skulker took the opportunity to act, tossing a bolo at the preoccupied teen and catching him by the ankles. The bolos then lengthened, grabbing each one of Danny's arms and pulling them all together, hog-tying him. "Hey, what the hell?"

"Ha! I've got you now, whelp!" Skulker grinned triumphantly. "You're pelt is _MINE!_"

"No way!" Danny tugged at the metal ropes, not very much liking the fact that he was currently tied up like a rodeo animal. "You totally cheated!"

"Skulker does not cheat!" The ghost protested violently, pointing down at the halfa, struggling on the floor. "I caught you fair and square, whelp!"

"You did not! You totally got me when my back was turned!" Danny grunted. He twisted his arm inside the ropes, until his fingers directly pointed at the coils. "Cheater cheater, pumpkin eater!"

"Silence!" Skulker commanded. "Skulker does not eat pumpkins! I am a hunter! It is in my nature to take advantage of unsuspecting prey! You are the one who let your guard down!"

"Nope, still counts as cheating in my book!" Danny taunted, concentrating on forming an ice knife at the tips of his fingers. It was working, slowly, and a hole he had punctured in the metal was now tearing open like a soda can. He had to be careful that they wouldn't snap and cut his wrists. "You couldn't catch anything fairly if it walked up to you in handcuffs!"

"You little-! How dare you mock me, pray!" The hunter scowled, rising into the sky. "I am _SKULKER_, the ghost zone's greatest hunter! I am the stalker of nightmares, the slayer of beasts! I am the solitary soul who caught the great _Danny Phantom!"_

"You are also spending _way_ too much time with Technus, giver of long winded speeches." Danny rolled his eyes, sliding out of the cuffs and holding up a bright green ball of ectoplasm. He shot it directly into Skulker's back, sending him flying across the street and into a pole. It hardly affected him though, quickly springing back into action and throwing _another_ rope around the boy, this time constricting his waist.

"HA!" Skulker snarled, a toothy grin playing on his metallic jaw. He yanked on the lasso, and it quickly reeled Danny in, like a fishing line holding back a writhing piranha. "What say you now, whelp? Was you back turned _then_?"

"Let go, Skulker!" Danny struggled against lasso. Every move he made seem to make his muscles ache, as though he were stretching them beyond their limits just by wiggling. "What… the hell… is this?"

"Like it?" Skulker yanked again, and Danny could not force himself to even yelp, his throat was so sore. "I've had another upgrade—it's a rope made from ectobondant."

"E…ecto…what…?"his eyes began to close, small lead weights on either of his strained eyes. He sighed deeply, the stretching of a yawn bringing him warmth in his voice, slightly relieving the ache.

"It's sucking the energy right out of your core." Skulker snorted, extending a knife from his wrist towards the boy's throat. "Say goodnight, whelp!"

Danny swallowed thickly, a familiar pain gathering sharply in his chest, icy and prickling. It grew, stabbing at his heart and lungs, freezing him over. His eyes suddenly began to grow a pupil-less fluorescent blue, a cool mist gathering around them. Skulker watched in a mix of surprise and horror, afraid of what was to come but unable to look away.

_NO…!_ Danny thought, trying to stop the muscle spasms in his body. Every panted breath was like ice; as though his ghost sense were going haywire. _NOT NOW! PLEASE!_

His thoughts where interrupted by the sound of Skulker's screeching, and the sudden rush of heat from the ghost's half melted body. As the metal grip on him relinquished, he began to fall back to the earth, the ghost fading out of him like a dying candle in the darkness.

"Danny!" He heard Sam's voice call out, and briefly opened his still tired eyes to see the Goth running at him full speed; a Fenton Bazooka cocked over her shoulder, still smoking. She tossed it at Tucker, who grunted, and threw herself at Danny, pushing him onto a nearby lawn and away from the asphalt. It still had hurt both of them, but dirt was much softer and less likely to break bones then tar.

"Fuck." He said simply, not having the energy or will power to nurse his injuries. He groaned, and frowned at Sam, who was leaning over him, shaking him lightly. Well, lightly or not, it still hurt like a bitch. "Stop. I'm alive." He grunted, glaring at her.

"SKULKER WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS, INSOLENT—" She shot up, swinging a thermos around from the back of her belt and aiming in at the recently recovered ghost's head. He froze, glancing a few times between the bazooka and her before slouching over and sighing in defeat. "I really hate you human children."

Once the cap closed on the thermos, she threw it behind her in the general direction of Tucker, and rushed back to Danny's side.

"Um, _HELLO_? I'm not your maid, you know!" he grunted, and she ignored him.

"Danny, are you okay? Can you walk? Can you see? Can you speak?" she rambled, grabbing onto his face and turning it back and forth to check for bleeding, successfully causing him more harm than good.

"I might," he coughed, "If you let me breathe for a second, Sam." He gave a weak smile but made no other movement towards or away from her. He wasn't exactly comfortable on the ground, but right now, he could have been on a cloud and not have known the difference. "Holy shit am I _tired_… " he flicked his half opened eyes in her direction. "…Tell me why again?"

"Danny, stay awake! Your arm is bleeding and if you fall asleep—!" Sam protested as his eyes began to flutter shut.

"I'm not… sleeping." He said quietly, and yawned. "I'm just uh… mmm…" and he cut himself off with a soft snoring sound. She attempted to wake him up to no avail. Tucker sighed and moved her away, pulling a rag from his knapsack.

"Fear not, woman. The Great Tucker is here." He rolled his eyes, bandaging the wound as tightly as he could, knotting off the handkerchief.

"Wh-" she blinked. "Why do you carry a hanky around?"

"Because girls dig guys who do sentimental crap, duh." He grinned, and Sam had to stop herself from making him join an unconscious Danny on the ground.

"Whatever. Help me lift him up." Sam grunted and made a movement towards him, but Tucker stepped in to block her off, and hoisted Danny onto his back.

"Don't strain yourself, sweetheart." He winked, and she probably would have kneed him in the groin if not for the probably-concussed halfa on his back.

She never did get to show Danny the text Jazz had sent her.

OOO

"…JACK." Vlad wheezed out, his breathing so shallow that it felt like the oxygen was teasing him; his chest constricted in a bone-breaking death grip. He sucked in little puffs of air, the words coming out in hoarse, throaty whispers. "PUT… ME… DOWN…!"

He had arrived in Amity not half an hour ago, atop the roof of Axion Labs, and quickly sped to the Fenton's via one very expensive, very flashy limousine. It had occurred to him to fly there, but something about showing off his wealth in this town full of idiots was too much to pass up, it seemed.

Besides, if he wanted to figure out why Daniel was acting so out of character, it would be best to collect a bit of information first. Information, he knew, that The Fat Oaf—ahem, _Jack Fenton_—would be all too happy give him. Really, he didn't have anything in particular against the idiot, what with his feelings for Maddie having dissipated. That didn't mean he had to _like_ him, though.

In any case, Jack was useful. He couldn't count the number of times he'd used the idiot's naivety in his own favor. From stealing the Fenton designs for his own inventions, to tricking him into letting Daniel stay for a night or two (which had come in handy often when Vlad would accidentally go too far and seriously injure the boy, though that hadn't happened in a while), it seemed that Jack's idiocy was actually a blessing in disguise. He could tolerate him, but that didn't mean he had to _like_ him.

Or his _infernal_ bear hugs.

"Why of course, V-Man!" Jack grinned, dropping him like a lump onto the ground. After a moment of coughing, he found himself being pulled up by a ginormous hand, led into the kitchen like some pull-along child's toy. "Here, sit down! Have some pancakes! How've you been? Seen any ghosts lately? Ooh, how about that rotten old Wisconsin ghost? I hear he lives in Wisconsin!"

"Vlad!" Maddie smiled, a surprised look on her face. "Well, what a surprise! You know, we were just thinking about you." She flipped a pancake, and behind her, he could see Jasmine with a look on her face as though she'd swallowed a fish.

He smiled broadly.

"Maddie!" He opened his arms to hug her briefly, pleased when Jasmine's look of shock turned into sheer anger. He could practically hear the suspicious theories forming in her mind. _Well, serves her right, the little know-it-all._ "Oh, you know." He waved a flippant hand, "Meeting at Axion, but it ended early. I thought I'd pay my _favorite _college pals a visit." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, but only Jazz could hear it.

"Wow, gee, old buddy!" Jack began to eat, his mouth full of food. Vlad tried his best not to gag. "That sure is swell of ya! Hey, I know! After breakfast, we can go down into the lab and talk about ghosts! Just like old times!"

"As… _tempting, _as that sounds, Jack…" Vlad felt his face twitch slightly, "I was actually wondering if you both wouldn't mind me taking Danny out for the day." He tapped his fingers against the table lightly, "As a matter of fact, where _is_ the little badger, anyway?"

"Oh, well Vlad." Maddie said, placing three more pancakes on Jack's plate. "Danny went out with his friends today. He should be back any minute, now… right Jazz?" Vlad gave her a pointed glare, and she returned it with as much fervor.

"Well actually, I just got a message from—" she began, but was cut off by the sudden sound of the front door opening and slamming shut.

"—Well I don't see _you_ carrying him!"

"Shut up, Tucker! You're gonna wake Danny's par—" Sam took a step in front of the kitchen door, and they all turned their heads to see her and Tucker, with Danny knocked out on his back. For a moment, they were still, except of course for Jack who continued to eat his pancakes.

"Oh, my baby!" Maddie suddenly tossed the pan, and a quick reflexed Jazz caught it. Unfortunatley, she had missed the pancake, and the uncooked side landed directly on her hair, sliding down off her face.

"Oh, he's fine, Mrs. Fenton!" Sam patted him on the back, waving innocently. "He just um, he ate a lot at the restaurant and got sleepy, so Tucker offered to carry him home!

"I didn't offer noth—" he started, before she jammed her elbow into his side, causing him to yelp. "I mean yes, I offered to carry him on my back for four blocks, no problem, he' not even heavy." He grunted, under his breath, adding: "Just about a million freakin' pounds in dead weight."

"Hey, he gets that from me! I always pass out after I eat too much!" Jack laughed, heartily. "Oh, he's such a good kid."

"Yes he is!" Sam laughed, nervously shooting a glance at Vlad, who was gawking at the three of them as though there were a small pink elephant on Tucker's back instead of a teenage boy. "Well, we're just gonna take him upstairs and put him to bed. You all enjoy your breakfast!" She turned on her heels, and both she and Tucker darted up the stairs, moving as quickly as someone carrying 180 pounds of excess weight possibly could.

"Sorry about Danny, V-man!" Jack shrugged, standing up, and throwing a sticky hand around Vlad's shoulder, and holding himself close enough that Vlad could smell the disgusting mix of saliva and syrup on his breath. "But hey! We can still hang out, right?"

"Actually, Jack…" Vlad grit his teeth, removing the tree of an arm from his being forcefully. "I just remembered, there was something I left at the office. It was nice chatting with you all, goodbye." And with that, he promptly turned on his heels, exiting the kitchen, and seconds later, the house.

"That was… odd." Maddie blinked, and shrugged, sitting down to eat breakfast for herself, since Jack was done. "I wonder what he wanted to do with Danny."

"Bonding, of course!" Jack nodded knowingly. " Vlad doesn't have any kids of his own, so it's only fair if I share Danny with him sometimes." He laughed, and Jazz gave him an incredulous look, wondering briefly for a moment if… no, that was impossible. She cast the thought from her mind, returning to her previously abandoned glare.

_Just what is he up to…?_ She put a hand to her chin, curiously. _He said he wanted to talk to Danny, but as soon as he came over, he left…_

She paused, wanting badly to smash her head into the counter, but resisting because her parents were in the room.

_DUH, JAZZ!_ She made a move for the livingroom. _HE'S A GHOST!_

"Sweetie? What's the matter?" Maddie asked, giving her daughter a curious look. Jazz froze, spinning around and giving her mom an innocent smile.

"Nothing." She said simply. "Just going to make sure Danny's alright."

"Aw, you don't have to do that, Jazzy pants!" Jack waved at his daughter. "Sam and Tucker can handle him!"

"I just… want to make sure." She laughed nervously. "I've been worried about him lately."

"Well, if that's the case, I know how you can help him out!" he smiled brightly, an idea dawning on him. "You can help me clean the lab! And while we're down there, we can catch up on all the cool ghost hunting I've done since you've been in college!" he stood up, practically running at her. She tried to protest, but before she could utter a word, he had grabbed her hand and had dragged her halfway down to the lab.

OOO

"Quick, put him down!" Sam hissed, tearing down papers from the wall as quickly and carefully as she could.

"What? What's going on?" Tucker whispered back, dumping Danny half-hazardously on the bed and following her lead in tearing down lists, though he did not know why.

"Vlad's probably down there right now thinking of how to get up here. " She stood up on the chair, reaching for some of the more difficult lists. _Since when did Danny get so tall? _She scowled, almost falling. Tucker ran and caught her by the waist, letting her catch her balance.

"What are you talking about?" he said, still holding onto her although she was standing by herself. She swatted his hands away, embarrassed, and continued peeling papers from higher up on the wall.

"Jazz texted me at the restaurant, she said Vlad wanted to talk to Danny." She finished one corner, and began to move onto another. "We have to get these lists down before he comes up, or else Danny's secret is going to be blown!"

"Oh." Tucker blinked once, and then realizing the implications of the situation, said a little less stupidly, "OH! Right! Crap!" He began to help her, starting on the other side of the room.

They finished up quickly, shuffling the papers into one of the drawers of Danny's desk. Tucker was about to double check the walls to make sure they had gotten them all, when Sam, who was pulling the blanket over Danny with a soft look on her face, caught his attention. He felt a spike of jealousy, and could not help himself but to stare.

"Sam…?" he asked, finally mustering the courage. She did not look up, but huffed, crossing her arms.

"That jerk." She gritted her teeth. "I swear to god, if he doesn't take care of Danny, I'll kill him myself."

"Sam." Tucker repeated a little more forcefully. She still did not look at him.

"Danny's too good for him." She shook her head, her fists clenching. "I can't _believe_ he kicked him out and still…" she frowned. "Danny is still…!

"SAM." She turned, surprised at the anger in his baritone voice. He took a breath, and looking back at Danny he said, "Do you still… have feelings for him?" He had _expected_ her to nod or smile sadly, and _hoped_ that she would begin to deny it profusely, and throw her arms around him. To his surprise (and grave disappointment), she did neither. Instead, she put a hand softly over her heart and took a deep breath.

"I thought…" she paused, her face scrunching up in confusion. "I thought I did, but… Danny is my friend—my _best_ friend. I love him, but… not like that." She sighed again, running a hand through her hair. "I guess… I always thought that since I got angry when he was after Valerie or Paulina it was because I was jealous, but really… It was only because I knew they were going to hurt him. I mean, Paulina's such a skank, and Valerie wants to kill him, for god's sake!" she growled, shaking her head. "Now… _Vlad_? After everything that asshole has put him through, he still-!" she glared angrily, her quivering voice gaining volume. "He doesn't _deserve_ this, Tuck! Not after everything he's done for us-! He's not even doing this for himself! It's… It's all… for us!" she was near tears now; "…it's _my_ fault! If I hadn't… he wouldn't be…!"

Tucker did not know quite what to do. On one hand, he was relieved that Sam had denied that she felt anything for Danny, but on the other, he wanted to comfort her, but didn't quite know how. Should he hug her? But… what if she hit him again? Well… what about a hand on her shoulder? Would that seem patronizing? Well, he should at least _say_ something, right? But what? Oh, for the love of MP3s! He continued to wrack his brain, unsure what to do when they both shot up at the sound of a furious snarl behind them.

"Well, if it isn't team Phantom." Plasmius frowned, his feet gracing the floor. Tucker stared at him for a moment, and Sam inhaled sharply, marching up to him without hesitation. "What are we up to now, children?"

"You… you…!" she snarled, and Vlad was tempted to smite her. That foolish little Goth brat…! How _dare_ she speak to him in such a tone, with that look of total arrogance? A part of him _wanted_ her to say something, if only to justify his fist breaking her pretty little face.

Tucker watched them both awkwardly for a minute, unsure whether or not to break them up. It was like watching a spider and a scorpion circle each other. Someone was going to be poisoned, but it was hard to tell whom.

_You don't deserve him_! They both thought, glaring at each other. _I don't know what he sees in you! You are just some arrogant, snobby, self-important—_they suddenly froze mid-thought, because Danny turned in his bed.

Finally, _finally_, after Danny had stilled and what seemed to be an eternity had passed, Sam twisted to look at Vlad. Still wearing a death glare proudly on her face, she strode up to him, and put a finger in his face, inches away from his nose.

"LISTEN UP, FRUIT LOOP." she hissed. "If you even _think_ for a _MINUTE _about rejecting his offer—" her eyes narrowed, and she bared her teeth in a furious growl, "I'll shove this boot so far up your ass, even the ghost gauntlets won't be able to get it out, _GOT IT_?" both males stared at her, mirroring one another's bewildered expressions. She spun around, and taking Tucker's arm, started towards the door. She was about to leave when she twisted around again to add, "And _DON'T_ wake him up! It's your fault he didn't get any sleep last night anyway!" With that, she promptly shoved Tucker out of the room, neatly shutting the door behind her.

"Are you sure that's okay…?" Tucker asked hesitantly, glancing between Sam and the door as they made their way downstairs. "I mean, leaving them both alone like that…"

"He'll be fine." Sam grunted, reaching the last step and looking wearily at the top of the stairs. " He wanted to talk to Danny, and I'm sure Danny wouldn't appreciate us sitting there and giving his little boyfriend dirty looks the entire time." Tucker wanted to point out that _she_ would be the only one giving dirty looks, but didn't want to be elbowed again, so he kept his mouth shut. She sighed, her expression softening. To herself, she mumbled again, "He'll be fine."

Tucker, catching the faint weariness in her gaze, slung an arm around her and grinned.

"Well, _duh_. He's Danny. He can handle it." He removed his arm, still smiling and opened the front door, in a display of mock chivalry. "Let's wait for him to call at my house. I just got Dead Teacher: Island of Blood for the PS3, and I am completely confident in my ability to _kick your ass_."

She smiled at him gratefully, but not before knocking his cap off and putting it on her own head.

"Hey!"

"We'll see about that."

OOO

Vlad stared at the door, awestruck a moment, before collapsing exhaustedly into a computer chair, reverting to his human form.

Well. That was certainly… odd, to say in the least. Daniel's friends knew he had come to see him in the night, and not told his family. Or even Jasmine, for that matter. (At least, he assumed Jasmine did not know, or he was sure he would have gotten an earful over the phone about how stupid he was for rejecting Daniel's offer, along with some empty threat.) He knew that both Daniel and the Foley boy were tricksters, according to his surveillances, but the Manson girl always seemed deadest against such tomfoolery, _especially_ when it dealt with ghosts. She had never been one to go along with Daniel's crude jokes before. Although far from an adult, he had at least assumed her _somewhat_ responsible, even if she was a spoiled little know-it-all.

So why had she just left her boyfriend fall into the hands of his supposed arch nemesis, without so much as a single protest? She had practically handed the boy over on a silver platter!

_I knew she was not good enough for you_. Vlad sniffed, crossing his arms. _If you were mine, I would be watching over her like a hawk. I would never put you in such a compromising situation._ Vlad glanced over at the boy, and felt his heart grow warm when Daniel turned, making a comfortable cooing sound in his sleep. His face (although pale and thin) seemed content, and his tousled hair framed his face almost dreamily, lined against his cheekbones; accentuating the long dark lashes against his soft, peach-tanned skin. Vlad stood up, wandering over and kneeling down by the bedside, close enough that he could feel Danny's ghost sense brush against his cheek before returning to warm breath.

"You're so troublesome." Vlad whispered with a lidded frown on his face. "Really, the last thing I need to be thinking about is some stubborn little troll of a boy, barging into my castle and trying to trick me. If you were anyone else I'd have killed you by now."

Danny shifted in his sleep, making a sound as though he were in pain. His armed slid up towards Vlad, as though reaching for something, when a flash of Vlad alerted something was very, very wrong.

A rag wrapped half-assedly around his elbow was dripping with a warm, dark liquid; a deep red with sparkling flecks of green tinged all throughout. It was smeared all over his arm, and drying onto a disgusting brown, staining both his skin and T-shirt. Vlad made move to unwrap the makeshift bandage, but the moment his skin touched Daniel's, the younger halfa winced and jerked away.

"Let…go!" he forced out, visibly shaking. "Don't…!" Vlad froze a moment, before her realized that the boy was having a nightmare.

He made move to wake Daniel up, when suddenly, the skin around the affected arm began to boil up and bubble, melting together and healing. It left a faint dark mark, but even that was soon fading. Danny's expression eased up, his shallow breath relaxing into long, soft sighs.

_I did not know he could speed heal yet_. Vlad thought offhandedly, removing the bandage. It had taken Vlad about four and a half years to do that by himself, and another two to be able to do it so quickly. _Well. It does make sense that he would discover his powers more quickly, if he knows they already exist. _He tossed the rag at the garbage bin with a disgusted look on his face, wondering briefly which of his two moronic friends had thought _that_ was suitable medical attention.

"…lad…"

He turned on his heels and stared, wondering if he was indeed losing his mind. Had… had Danny just murmured his…?

"…Vlad" Danny whispered again, his face twisted painfully. Vlad felt his face heat up brightly, a flaming blush engulfing his cheeks and ears. He stepped towards the boy, eager to hear him again. Daniel was mumbling _his_ name. Not some Goth brat, or ghost hunting wannabe, but _his_—

The assumption had yet to even form in his mind when the younger halfa mumbled again.

"…Die!"

It had been but a whisper, but Vlad's heart felt as though it had plummeted into the basement. His ghost form took over; a bud of anger swelled up in him, tempting him to slam his fist into the boy's face, but he stopped himself.

_He's asleep, idiot!_ Vlad growled inwardly. _He could be having a dream about… gambling, for all you know._

"Hate…" he grunted again, twisting his neck about. "…get away! NO!"

Plasmius shot up and forward, his eyes ablaze in a mix of anguish and rage. He could not stand for another word. Leaning over the bed, he smacked the boy atop the head scornfully.

"Get _UP_, you little—!" and before he could even finish the sentence, a pair of wide, icy eyes were staring up at him, alight with surprise and fear.

They both froze, each unsure of what to say; Danny was too stunned, and Vlad was still simmering with emotions, too cooked up to gather his unsettled thoughts. After several moments, Danny spoke, unsure of himself.

"…Vlad?"

OOO

**I REGRET NOTHING.**


	5. Chapter 5

**This one is for everyone who's been disappointed with the lack of Pompous Pep updates on this site. I understand, darlings. ;-;**

**OOO**

Scared.

…

I'm so scared.

…

Why is it so scary here?

**Blackness, blackness. Everywhere. Nowhere. It is Dark. It is scary.**

_When did it become so dark? Where are you now?_

…

_Where will you be?_

**It screams****.** **You cannot hear it but you know it is screaming. You can feel it.**

_You know this voice. Where have you heard this before? _

**It is coming closer. It is moving out there in the darkness. **

GET IT AWAY FROM ME! NO! GET IT—

**No sight, no sound. It is moving again. How do you know? Oh! Listen. It is closer.**

_No use in running; you can't run from this. You can't run from __**me**_**.**

**Hands. Cold icy dry. Why are they touching you? Shift, shift. It has moved again.**

STOP, PLEASE! DON'T-! LET GO!

**Cold grip squeezes your chest. It is holding your heart. **

_I won't let go. I'm not like you. I am not a __**FAILURE**_. _I won't __**ABANDON**__ them._

NO! I didn't! I'll fix it. I'll make everything better! I'll fix it! I'LL FIX IT!

**Blackness, Blackness. His eyes keep switching; Blue, Red, Blue, Red. It is like a clock. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.**

"_What's the matter little Badger?" _

SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! DON'T YOU DARE!

**Grip. Squeeze. Tear. Shred. Fear. Tick. Tick. Tick.**

DON'T TOUCH ME!

**Falling. Tick. Falling. Tick. Falling. Tick.**

_Time's up._

**OOO**

"Wake UP, you little-!" a hand hit him roughly on the side of the head, much too large and firm to belong to Sam. He'd nearly swatted it away, but the voice the hand belonged to seemed so _very_ familiar, he couldn't resist opening his eyes to see who had spoken.

Imagine his surprise when he saw a pair of red, glowing orbs on an angry blue face. He was, in fact, so stunned, that it had taken him back to the dream he'd been having. For a moment, he was tempted to reach out and touch the ghost—to see if perhaps he was still dreaming. Yet… a part of him didn't want to know. So instead, he gathered his courage, and in a meek, disbelieving voice, he said:

"…Vlad?"

Something changed on Vlad's face at the sound of Danny's voice. He was not, by any means, less serious or angry, but it was as if the word that had once died on his lips was suddenly reanimated; forced out, cold, and indescribably haunting.

Danny would have made a crack about vampires, but now hardly seemed like the time.

"Daniel."

The fire in his eyes vanished all at once, replaced with a familiar icy stare. They sat like that for a moment, staring at each other; neither making a move. A thousand questions raced through Danny's mind, but none of them would form fully into words before disappearing again. He was about to speak; mumble a bit to break the silence, when Vlad's voice, calm and collected, sliced through the air once more.

"You said you wanted to talk." Vlad's eyes narrowed, silently searching for something. "Well… go on. I'm listening."

"…what?" Danny's eyebrow furrowed. "Why are you…?" Along came a pause, accompanied by a look of utter confusion. "…_what_?"

"Last night, just before I kicked you out, you said you wanted to talk about something." Vlad raised an eyebrow, but continued to frown. "Well, what is it?"

"I…" Danny trailed off, still stunned, before hopping off the bed and glancing around the room nervously. "Wh-where are Sam and Tucker?"

"Daniel." Vlad growled, the impatience clear in his voice. Danny took a deep breath, mentally chanting, '_Don't fuck this up. Don't fuck this up._' several times in his head.

"Could you like… sit down?" Danny bit his lip, and motioned towards the computer chair. Vlad blinked, but complied, waiting for Danny to continue. "Um, and… maybe revert to human form?"

"Why?" It wasn't a question, but a demand for reason. Danny looked at him apprehensively.

"It's sort of… er… distracting." Danny fidgeted. _Because you're intimidating like that. Not because you're gorgeous. _Vlad rolled his eyes, two black rings revolving around his body, and his ghostly aura dissipating.

"Fine. "

"Uh, well…" Danny rubbed his neck, sitting down directly across from Vlad onto the bed. "I guess… I should explain a little first."

**OOO**

Danny could still remember when he'd told Sam and Tucker about his feelings for Vlad. It hadn't been the first time he'd feared for his life, but it had certainly been the most uncomfortable.

"_**WHAT?**_"

"Dude!"

"_**YOU'RE JOKING! YOU MUST BE—**_"

"…Dude!"

"_**I MEAN, YOU AREN'T GAY! AND HE'S—HE'S—HE'S A—!"**_

"...HE'S A DUDE!"

Sam continued to shriek, and Danny sunk his face into his hands. Damn. He hadn't expected it would be easy, but how the hell was he supposed to explain when Sam kept screaming half sentences and Tucker was still stuck on the fact that the object of Danny's affections had a penis. Because the fact that he was a forty year old and Danny's arch nemesis where obviously not problems at all.

They were in a secluded section of the park, and night had yet to completely fall, leaving a thin line of orange glowing at the edge of the sky. It was where he and Tucker had met Sam in first grade, when their class had gone on a field day at the end of the year.

They had found her hunched up behind a thicket of thorn bushes, her hair a wild mess and mud caked onto her purple and white dress. Her knees were cut, and she'd had her face hidden away, as though she were crying. They had called out to her (like the good, Honorary Astro Rangers they were) and offered rescue, but when she looked up, they were both surprised to see her grinning like a fool.

Curiously, they had approached her. She beat them to the greeting, and promptly stood up, shoving both her open hands towards them.

"Wanna touch it?" She laughed, displaying a rather impressive looking centipede crawling around her thumb and twining itself around her fingers. Danny shrieked; Tucker fainted.

It had been the start of a beautiful friendship.

It was also, Danny decided, the only place he felt safe testing that friendship.

"—SHUT UP AND LET ME EXPLAIN." He yelled, clapping a hand over both their mouths. Tucker remained dumbfounded, but Sam glared indignantly at the treatment, slapping his hand away.

"_How long?_" She hissed, obviously displeased.

_Well duh_, he fought the urge to kick himself. _You didn't think she was gonna smile and give her blessing, did you?_ He took a deep breathe, focusing his gaze on a single leaf of grass, began.

"I'm… not sure, really." He paused, going over the lines he'd rehearsed in his head. "It's been awhile I guess… I'm not sure exactly where it started…" He frowned. "Can I just… explain from the beginning?"

"Please do." She pursed her lip, but made no sound after that.

And so he told them.

He told them about how he'd initially he'd pitied Vlad after the cloning incident, and how angry he'd been at the thought of being replaced to the elder halfa, though he did not know why at the time. He told them about how the pranks he'd pulled that eventually made Vlad mayor were only started as an attempt to cheer him up; and (embarrassed beyond belief) how eventually the nude prank at the hotel had made his attraction to the man painfully clear. Tucker had made a choking sound at that, but he ignored it.

"But..!" Sam blurted out, looking much like a fish gasping for water. "You don't like _guys!_ You like girls like… _Valerie_, and _Paulina_!" She said both names with disdain, but it didn't affect the disbelief in her voice. "I mean, it'd be one thing to say you're just homosexual… but only for _Vlad_? He's…! He's…!"

"Old!" Tucker blurted, looking hopelessly lost.

"—a narcissistic, contemptuous, conniving, egotistical asshole that's caused you nothing but trouble since the day you met!" Sam glared, and then added "And he _is_ old! He's like your dad's age! "

He looked at them both, and then back down at his hands.

"I know, but… do you guys… remember the alternate timeline?" he rubbed his arm, and their faces went solemn.

"Yeah." Sam said quietly, looking away. "What about it?"

"In that timeline… Vlad abandoned _everything_—his schemes, his plots… for _me_. Because he had to be there for _me_. He… he even agreed to rip out my ghost half—"

"And that's a _good_ thing?" Sam threw her hands up, exasperatedly. "Danny, that ended up destroying the _world!_"

"That's not the point I'm trying to get at, Sam!" Danny snapped, a bit irritated with her constant interruptions. "Vlad _wants_ me to be a halfa. It's the only reason he's ever been interested in me, but…" She noticed his expression soften. "…he gave that up for me. He wanted put my happiness before his own needs. And… even during the cloning incident, he could have cloned anyone! He could have taken a blank clone… or himself… or even my mom, and just gave _her_ ghost powers, but he didn't! He… he wanted _me_." He blushed a little, and Sam had to resist the urge to shove her fist into something.

"But…" Tucker finally said, slowly. "He… wants you to be his _son_, Danny. He doesn't like you like _that_. He wants your mo—"

"I know." Danny quickly cut him off, surprising both Tucker and Sam. "But… that doesn't change the way _I_ feel. Even though it's pathetic and hopeless…" he shook his head, and looked back up at the two of them. "I still… you know?"

Sam grit her teeth. On one hand, she wanted to kick something _really_ hard. She wanted to punch and scream and throw a hissy fit about how terrible a choice Vlad was, and scold Danny for falling in love with yet _another_ person that would only end up hurting him.

Yet, on the other hand… it looked like Danny already knew all this. He had given up hope on his feelings, before he'd even told them. So why say anything in the first place?

"I… I don't get it, man. Why are you telling us all of this if you already know it's hopeless?" Tucker asked, almost as if he'd read her mind. She felt her heart twist when Danny made a face of utter heartbreak, looking much like he was about to cry. Before she could say anything though, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a beaten up shoe box, covered in stickers and duct tape and sharpie scribbling. She felt her breathe hitch at the sight of it.

"Why… do you have your Secret Chest?" She said warily, subconsciously moving a hand over heart. She glanced at Tucker, whose worry matched her own.

They had all sworn a pact to _never_ bring out their chests… not unless the situation was absolutely dire. The last time any of them had seen Danny's chest was when Sam had changed schools for sixth grade. Even then, that had been a scheduled event that they'd planned two weeks ahead of time.

Danny said nothing, unsticking the duct tape and carefully opening the lid, sifting through the box before pulling out a bundle of folded yellow paper.

"This," Danny said quietly, running his fingers over the crinkles in the note. "is my Bucket List."

**OOO**

And he had thought _that_ conversation was difficult.

He had stumbled through, and surprisingly enough, Vlad had not interrupted once, unless it was to ask him to repeat himself or to speak up.

"…You want to become my minion for a year, in exchange for me protecting your family while you're gone away to college?" Vlad blinked, clearly disbelieving. After a moment, he growled, feeling slightly insulted. "Daniel… that isn't what I offered you _at all_."

"Look, it was late and I— I mean, I wanted to get on your good side without… well…" Danny frowned, shifting uncomfortably on his bed. "I just… want to make sure they're going to be okay. All I want is for you to call off the attacks in Amity… and stay away from Dad." He paused, quickly adding, "Until I come back, at least. Then you can go back to—well, being you."

"And what happens if I say no?" Vlad crossed his legs, trying to ignore the last statement. Really, Daniel could be so oblivious. When was the last time he'd made a _serious_ attempt at the fat oaf, anyway? Daniel hadn't noticed his change for the better at all! (Even if it was a bit on the slight side.)

"Then I won't go."

"_Excuse_ me?" Vlad sat straight up, both his feet falling onto the carpet with a _**thud**_. He stared at the boy, speechless, while he continued on as though they were discussing the weather. _He couldn't mean-_

"I wasn't planning on starting college until January next year anyway… I still need to save up some more cash. " He sighed, scratching the back of his head, trying to ignore the way Vlad looked, completely dumb struck and wide eyed. It was almost cute. "I haven't told Mom or Dad I've been accepted yet, so… it's not like anyone's expecting—"

"Are you _stupid_, boy?" Vlad barked indignantly. He seemed… oddly flustered, Danny thought. "You can't throw away college for this pathetic little back water town!"

"Hey, you were mayor of this town, remember?" Danny snapped defensively, "Don't you have any pride?"

"Don't _you_?" Vlad shot back, making a few wild hand gestures."What, are you going to work at the _Nasty Burger_ for the rest of your life?"

"You know, you've certainly got a critical point of view considering _you're _the deciding factor in all this. If you want me to go to college, all you've got to do is say yes." Danny gripped the edge of the bed, and met Vlad's eye with a challenging gaze.

They stared at each other a moment, until Vlad, growing slightly uncomfortable under Danny's unfaltering gaze tossed his head snootily to the side.

"I don't _think_ so, boy." Vlad sneered bitterly. Danny raised an eyebrow. "I've offered you a place to stay time and time again, each ending with you being a stubborn little brat and losing your temper. You have never _once_ treated me with any shred of respect. Too bad for you, Daniel Fenton, but the answer is—"

_**SCRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCHHH!**_

The noise was deafening, and accompanied a cool fog From Danny's lips and a hot steam through Vlad's. They twisted their necks towards the door, where the sound had come from, and gasped.

Phasing through the carpet, a large mass of black substance sat on the floor, seeping and dripping every which way, defying gravity. It grew tall and wide, nearly touching the ceiling. It bubbled for a second, just before two molten orange eyes popped open, and a gooey jaw unhinged. A lumpy string of substance detached from the body, resembling a finger pointing at Danny.

"_**HE IS THE ONE." **_It wheezed, sounding hoarse and crackly. _**"WE WILL TAKE HIM NOW."**_

**OOO**

"And then I grabbed the Jack o' Nine Tails and nabbed him!"

"That's fantastic, Dad." Jazz mumbled, picking bits of dried pancake batter out of her hair, while her father whizzed about the Lab, pulling things off shelves and not cleaning up in the least. "Look, I really think someone should go check up on Danny—"

"Aw, you worry too much, Jazzypants." He waved off the notion, sticking his eye up to the barrel of something, and then shaking it. When it did not react, he tossed it aside, moving to the next gadget. "I'm sure your mom's already on it, anyways."

"But-!"

"Hey princess, what do you think would make a better ghost scalpel?" He put a finger to his chin, and yanked down a box of parts. "An ecto laser, or a blade of reinforced ectoranium?"

"Wh-what do you need a scalpel for?" she replied, shaking very obviously, though her father did not notice it.

"Nothin', just your mom and I have our anniversary coming up, and I thought I'd get her something nice." He shrugged, and smiled. "She's so cute—always going on and on about 'dissecting the ghost boy for the sake of science'. We both know when I get my hands on him, I'm going to tear him apart, molecule by molecule!" He grinned triumphantly, and Jazz was thankful she hadn't had any pancakes, or they'd be on the floor about now.

"Hey, Jazzerincess? You okay? You don't look so hot."

"I'm fine!" she waved, a fake smile plastered onto her face. "Don't mind me, just a little… excited about all your recent… er, ghost findings."

"Really? Cause I gotta tell yah, there's a dozen more-!" Jack beamed, shoving boxes back into cupboards. "You know—but that ghost kid sure is interesting! Maybe I'll cut a sample out for Maddie to study before I destroy him." She felt her gag reflex act up again, but found it easier to repress.

"Oh really…?" she said weakly, feeling a bit woozy in the knees.

"Yeah! His ectoplasmic energy levels have been off the charts lately!" He scratched his chin. "It's funny. Ghosts don't usually _gain_ power unless they have a group of minions to draw it from. That way, they never overload. I've never seen a solitary ghost change levels so sporadically…"

"Overload…?" Jazz blinked, suddenly curious. "What do you mean by that?"

"Ah, well… ghosts are like… balloons! …Sort of… " He frowned, thinking heavily. "when you blow up a balloon, you do it at a certain rhythm, right? Well, ghosts are the same way… they have distinct energy patterns… and if you put too much energy in one ghost at a time… it, well… pops." Jazz grimaced.

"…_It pops?_" She said, horrified. "You don't mean… _literally_, right?"

"I dunno, Jazzeroo." He shrugged. "Can't say I've ever seen it myself. Hey, wait! That gives me a great idea!" He clapped his hands together and twisted around, surprisingly graceful for his size. He bent down, disappearing only for a second, and then emerged again with an old moleskin journal. He flipped it open to a random page, and began to scribble something down. "What if we could speed up the weird energy cycles, and make him pop on purpose! I bet that would be cool!"

Jazz was mortified, backing into the counter behind her. He hands clawed at it for support, and she couldn't even be bothered to care about whatever the sticky substance between her fingers was. In her mind's eye came visions of Danny being inflated like some sick balloon until… until…

_POP! _

She bit back a yelp, twisting away suddenly and falling against the panel of the ghost portal. Before she realized it, the doors had slid open and closed again, if only for a brief moment. She pulled herself away immediately, and almost swore she saw something move from the corner of her eye. Yet, when she turned, the room was empty save for her and her father.

"…Jazz? Jazzypants? Hello?" Jack waved his fingers, and she looked up at him, startled.

"Uh… yeah. Hold that thought, dad. I have to, um… go to the bathroom." She whizzed past him, so quickly that he did not see her swipe the Fenton Peeler off of the counter.

_Whatever you're planning, Vlad...!_

**OOO**

**I thought about making it longer cause I made you wait so long.**

**But I'm lazy, so that didn't happen.**

**(Note: When you guys update _your_ fics, it makes me want to update mine. Just sayin')**


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